Three-way Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Update! We had tons of stuffing left over. I bought 18 more peppers (both poblano and cubano) and roasted and stuffed more and froze them.

My favorite was the turkey so I saved stuffing for 4 peppers. I sauteed more fresh corn and onion and some seasonings until it was beautifully tasty. I also added crumbled queso fresco. I stuffed each pepper, topped with crumbled cotija and sliced Monterey jack and baked until the cheese was melted. I served it with tons of the lime crema (recipe below) and chopped cilantro.   

Much better!!

I wanted to experiment with poblano peppers for the February Gourmet Dinner I am co-hosting at Barbara Wolfe's home here in Verandah. We rode in Babcock Ranch to the farmer's market on Sunday and got fresh poblanos and corn and limes. I'd hoped to find the cheese table  at the farmer's market, but the day was so windy that some of the regular vendors stayed away. The produce stand is simply amazing and they had their tents tied down very well.

The poblanos keep very well in the frig for at least a few days. If I'd thought clearly, I would have tried to get them all the same size. 

I gathered about ten recipes I found together and chose the ingredients I wanted to experiment with: pepitas, chorizo, turkey, and spices.

Note: Because I was mixing meats and drippings from meat, and beef broth in the rice, I decided there would not be a vegetarian version.

First, I cut the peppers in half, leaving the stem intact for at least one of the halves. I removed the extra pulp and the seeds. I placed them cut side up on a grilling stone that I had brushed with olive oil. I cooked these for 7 minutes in a hot 500-degree oven. I turned them over on the grilling stone and left them for the stuffing stage.

               

I had a packet of frozen chorizo from Rosy Tomorrow's Heritage Farm Goodness Box last spring. It had remained vacuum-sealed and frozen, so I took it out to defrost. I remembered her chorizo as spicy, so I was careful not to over spice that meat. In fact, I used the drippings to saute the fresh corn kernels and black beans to give them some spice. So, not in this order, I cooked the chorizo and set it aside, cooked a pound of organic Florida ground beef and set it aside, and also cooked a pound of ground turkey. Less meat would have been fine. (In fact less rice, beans and corn would be fine for 4-6 peppers. 

I cooked rice using 1 cups medium grain white and 1/2 cup brown in my rice cooker, using 2 cups of water and 1 of beef broth. I set the cooked rice aside to cool.

I sauteed kernels of corn from 2 ears in the chorizo drippings. I added two cans of rinsed and drained black beans.

I drained 1 can of chopped tomatoes with peppers (Ro-Tel.)

I had NOT salted or peppered up to this point.

I sauteed 1 yellow onion and 1/2 large Vidalia onion (chopped) with 2 T of my homemade roasted garlic puree. At this point, I added salt and pepper to this mix.

Chorizo: I mixed 1/3 of the rice and 1/3 of the corn and black beans, 1/3 of the onion/garlic and set aside.

After adding the onion/garlic mixture (above), I then added 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp chili pepper to the onion/garlic mixture for the spice that the beef and turkey needed.  Note: I'll add more spice to taste before filling the peppers. The same with salt and pepper.

Beef: I mixed 1/3 of the rice and 1/3 of the corn and black beans, AND 1/2 of the chopped tomato, adding 1/2 of the onion/garlic mixture I had seasoned.

Turkey: I mixed 1/3 of the rice and 1/3 of the corn and black beans, AND 1/2 of the chopped tomato, and 1/2 of the onion/garlic mixture I had seasoned. I added 1/4 - 1/2 cup pepitas. I added a 1/2 cup soaked raisins; added a nice sweetness.

This left me with no ingredients left but the slightly charred peppers. I chilled all the mixtures in bowls so that I filled the peppers later before baking.  I expected to have plenty left for more recipes later in the week (enchiladas, etc.)

Cheeses: Crumbled queso fresca, shredded Cotija, and shredded Monterey Jack. Sprinkle over all the peppers before baking 10-12 minutes until the cheeses are melted in a 375 degree oven.

Lime Crema: Mix 1 cup of sour cream, 2T mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 lime, zested and juiced, 1 clove of garlic, pressed, and 1/2 tsp. coarse salt. Process until smooth. Double as necessary!